The Twilight 25: the Possum's Den
by AndraLee
Summary: The Possum's Den: Ruminations on Life after Death - Drabbles created for the Twilight 25 Challenge. Round 4: chapter 51 and subsequent entries. Warning: Ch 74 contains descriptions of sexual abuse; no rape. Chapter 75 completes this series.
1. Crave

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: crave**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Edward/Bella; Felix/Bella **

**Rating: T**

* * *

I watch him caress the girl's lips and press his own into her hair. Beneath his offering, relief tints her features and she pulls herself closer to him, eager for his embrace.

Yesterday, he had insisted, "I have lost . . . my mate . . . "

He had lost his mind.

I imagine her in my arms, where we watch the condensation, formed in the contact between ferrous brine and gelid body, rise from my nostrils. It will obscure her weeping.

I crave to hold her the way he should: soaking in her heat as it radiates from his center and she begins to cool.

**************

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

A/N: Most of these drabbles have not seen a beta's pen. So sue me.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters.


	2. Platonic

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: platonic**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Nessie - Jacob**

**Rating: K**

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Nessie cut and folded the paper before binding the shape with a bit of tape. She chewed her lip and tilted her head; then dropped the cube in front of Jacob.

"Tell me why are we making models of Platonic solids?"

Jacob pushed her hair back. "To help you remember," he said. "Geometry and math have their own language - their own vocabulary and grammar . . ."

"I know. I know." She rolled her eyes and said quickly, "A regular polygon has equal-length sides and equal angles; and there are only five geometric solids that can be made using a regular polygon."

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**Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.**


	3. Soft

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: soft**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Edward/Bella**

**Rating: K**

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Bella was looking for a place to stash a couple of ratty t-shirts where Alice couldn't find them, when she felt something watching her.

Finally spotting the button-eyes, Bella pulled him from behind a box and wrapped her arms around him, imagining the longing for comfort that shaped his soft, stained mohair body. The ears were chewed, and his nose was frayed. He smelled of old books. A hand stitched seam created a raised-spine that ran down the length of his back; the appropriately crooked mouth smiled at her.

Bella instantly and fiercely loved the teddy bear in Edward's closet.

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**Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.**

**A/N: The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.**


	4. awkward

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: awkward**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Edward/Bella; Edward's evil siblings**

**Rating: T**

* * *

Edward was on his way home and Bella hadn't an idea how she'd broach the subject.

After Bella unwrapped herself from the teddy bear and tucked him back into the closet, the laughter began. Alice's tittering ignited the baritone guffaws from Jasper and Emmett, while Rosalie injected an occasional unladylike snort.

Edward's brothers and sisters started reciting Beowulf the moment they believed he was close enough to read their minds. The idiots were rolling on the floor by the time Edward was standing in front of Bella, waiting expectantly for her to explain the group recitation and her bewildered expression.

**************

**Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.**

**A/N: The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009. **


	5. Raindrops

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: raindrops**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Edward/Bella**

**Rating: T**

*************************************************

The muted patter of raindrops on the windowsill finally drew Bella's attention from the book in her hands. She hated closing the window completely when Edward wasn't with her.

Today, he was hunting. Bella wondered if Edward closed his eyes, like he did when he kissed her, as he bit into his prey.

She wished Edward was standing beside her watching the water bead on the glass and coalesce into rivulets. The tiny streams, pushed downward at angle toward the open window by the wind, landed as icy kisses on her bare thighs.

They made her miss him even more.

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**Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.**

**A/N: The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.**


	6. Retribution

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Retribution**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Jessica, Mike, Bella**

**Rating: T**

* * *

Bella flipped a peanut butter cracker toward the squirrel that sat in a nearby tree waiting for the students to disappear.

"Another friend of yours?" Jessica asked Bella.

"It's probably some girl who was a jerk in her last life; now she's spending her current incarnation as a rodent," Mike interjected. He had passed through several voyages of self-discovery in high school and was working through an interest in Buddhism.

Apparently, mindfulness didn't really prohibit an occasional sarcastic remark.

"Karmic retribution," Bella said. If the Cullens had been around, all the pests would have would have remained out of sight.

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	7. Mirror

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: mirror**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Edward/Bella**

**Rating: T**

*************************************************

It is easier to stare at your reflection and think of the image you see as a stranger, because your ego shies from the sting of honesty. You reluctantly meet the wary eyes that peer at you, holding the measured knowledge that selflessness is not a virtue when tainted by shared sacrifice and misguided truths.

In the absence of a reason that doesn't betray her uncertainty and desperation, you advise her to blame the altitude, the cold, and even an allergy to cedars. The worst part is knowing that she has already used the perfect excuse and she was forgiven.

************************************************

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**Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.**

**A/N: The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.**


	8. Walls

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Walls**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Edward/Bella**

**Rating: T**

* * *

I closed my eyes, trapped in the heat rising from her skin and the vibrations in her body. Small, fragile fingers pulled the veil between us and unraveled the single chestnut hair that fell to the floor. She swallowed and tried to cage the need to wrench more oxygen from the air. Human ears would have interpreted the sounds as a whisper; but they roared in mine, until the hallucination of the metallic scratching of steely nails over earthen walls consumed them. Then, I too swallowed, relishing the bittersweet bane that threatened to cover my chin in froth and blood.

* * *

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	9. Plea

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: plea**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Aro/unidentifed woman**

**Rating: T**

* * *

_Pai nosso, que estia no céu, santificado seja o Vosso nome. . . *_

Mon petit amusez-gueule, he thought, relishing her terror as the screaming began.

_. . . Lead us not into temptation . . ._

Like she had been. Enticed by a guarantee, hubris had trapped her. _She_ would witness a miracle. Life and death.

_. . . but deliver us from evil . . . _

She pulled the counting beads she wore to her lips, beseeching the protection of their dominion. Smiling, he folded his arms around her body and granted her request before finishing her prayer:

For this is my kingdom. My power and my glory. Forever. Para sempre. Amen.

**************

*From the Lord's Prayer (Portuguese as spoken in Brazil): Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

A/N: The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	10. Juvenile

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: juvenile**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Bella/Edward**

**Rating: T**

*************************************************

Last night, Edward admitted that he had been cataloging the character and physical traits he associated with Bella, and that meant on at least several occasions, he had scrutinized her with his calculating and fast vampiric brain. Thoughts of Edward focused solely on her made Bella nervous, and she demanded to know which adjectives graced Edward's list.

"You know I think you're perfect." Emphasizing the purr, Edward let the vowel rumble around in his chest for a split-second longer than necessary.

Bella whined in response. Now, she felt foolish and she bet anything Edward would add juvenile to his inventory.

**************

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

A/N: The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	11. Sour

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Sour**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing:Bella/Edward; Jessica**

**Rating:T**

_**Disclaimer: All belongs to Stephenie. I just wanna play with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.**_

***********

"Bella, you've got to read this," Jessica whispered, dropping the folded paper on my tray. I shook my head, sure it was another one of those titillating stories Jessica downloaded from the internet, because Edward was smirking.

I skimmed the first page . . . and used it to wrap the remains of my sour fruit. Cores were something to be thrown away, not things to be poked or prodded.

Edward pretended he was fighting the urge not to laugh. Groundhogs probably made the same little, satisfied grunting noises when they successfully tore up another garden.

He was never getting near _my_ apple.

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**A/N: The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.**


	12. Wood

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Wood**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing:Bella/Edward**

**Rating:T**

_**Disclaimer: All belongs to Stephenie. I just wanna play with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.**_

***************

Edward gave Bella a cedar on their fifth anniversary. He imagined they would plant the tree in their meadow. Instead, she grafted a sapling into a cut she'd made and hand-carried the memorial to each home they occupied.

On their ninth anniversary, he gave her a planter he made. Together, they trimmed the roots, repotted the cedar and tethered the branches. Eventually, the joining of the trees was undetectable.

On their one-hundred and fifth anniversary, they planted the bonsai on a cliff, where their love had once been tested, knowing they no longer required external constraints to exist as one.

* * *

A/N: The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	13. Crusade

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Crusade**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Character: Heidi**

**Rating: T**

* * *

Lured by the promise of bread and a roasted turnip, the soldier stepped into her private coach carefully, afraid she would notice the freezing rain-soaked uniform he wore and withdraw her offer.

"Danke, Fräulein," he said.

When she helped him out of his clothes and into her embrace, he found no relief. It seemed that dry ice had replaced the numbing wet-cold. Confused, he pulled her closer and she nuzzled his neck.

"My hero," she murmured. _In the end, revolution does nothing for peasants. It is a very good opportunity for vampires, however. _

And Heidi was the consummate opportunist.

* * *

Translation from German: "Thanks, Miss."

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	14. Worship

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Worship**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Charlie; Bella/Edward**

**Rating: T**

* * *

Upon Bella's arrival, Charlie happily adjusted his bachelor routine to include her. He gave up his wife-beater tee shirts, afraid they sent the wrong message, and buried his holey sweats. Charlie even began purchasing the T.V. Guide to facilitate Bella's acclimation to Forks nightlife.

Custom demanded Charlie partake of beer and a high carb snack during the nightly rituals he performed in his living room, and the tradition remained unchanged. Still, he bought fewer pretzels, picked-up more microwave popcorn and added Kool-Aid to his shopping list.

When Edward started worshiping the flat screen with them, Charlie began purchasing antacid.

*****************

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys and drinking Kool-Aid. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.

Count verified by Word Count Tool at .com/


	15. Play

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Play**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing/Characters: Bella/Edward, Eric, Mike, Jessica**

**Rating: T**

* * *

"The Quiluetes say that on foggy nights your can see the spirits fighting over the lake. Be warned: don't do anything to attract their attention, because they are always searching for bodies to steal." Eric whispered, finishing his story.

"It's the meanness left behind when your good self moves on to a higher plane," Mike said.

"Since when did you become an expert on Quiluete legends?" Eric asked.

"Since my customers are tourists who are interested in that stuff," Mike replied.

Jessica joined in. "Like the monsters at the Point Wilson Lighthouse? You're not afraid of monsters are you, Bella?"

* * *

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	16. Jealousy

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Jealousy**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing/Characters: Bella/Edward, Mike**

**Rating: T**

* * *

"Bella's not afraid of bodysnatchers, but her boyfriend is; he always misses the scary stories in English class." Sitting down beside Bella, Mike continued. "Don't worry, Bella, I'll protect you. You are going to Lake Crescent with us this weekend, right?"

"Monsters on the lake? I'm sure Bella can't wait to meet them," Edward said as leaned over and dropped his books on the table in front of Mike.

Mike shrugged, stealing a glance at Edward as he slid out the chair.

"Anyway, Bella's already in negotiations; she's trading her soul to keep her body forever," Edward declared.

* * *

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	17. Touch

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Touch**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Bella/Edward**

**Rating: T**

* * *

Bella stayed in her chair, crossed her arms and stared at Edward as he started to stand. Her eyes forced him back into his seat.

"What?"

"You know what."

"Aw, don't be mad." Edward gave her the best angelic look he could.

"You nearly gave Mike a heart attack when you dropped your books practically in his face. He slunk away like he was afraid you'd hit him."

"I would never touch Mike Newton," Edward pledged.

Bella waved her hand, dismissing the comment. "Then, you make a snide remark about my feelings."

"Everyone took it as a joke."

"Not. Funny."

* * *

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	18. Heart

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Heart**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Emmett/Rosalie**

**Rating: T**

* * *

"Sour puss," I teased.

Rosalie leaned toward me, exhaling forcefully. Her chilly breath drew a human memory from my addled brain; and I thought of an angry mare that paced and pawed the ground behind a split log fence as her colt was hauled away.

"Don't come in this house smelling like mutt again. I mean it," Rosalie grumbled. Her pitch was low and throaty.

She hadn't growled, so I pushed my luck. "Jacob Black's a good kid. I like him and I think you do, too."

"I've never liked dogs. They stink of rotten meat and a broken heart."

* * *

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	19. Aesthetic

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Aesthetic**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Jasper/Alice**

**Rating: T**

* * *

Behind her the sun dripped pyrole orange from an indanthrone blue sky into a molten sea. Scorched and bleeding. Torn, ube clouds teetered on the edge of the earth. He would have said she was breathtaking, if he had breath to give.

"Alice," he whispered, aching for her perfection.

She turned; her smile lit the shadow, her eyes reflected his and he felt. Love.

Unapologetic. Unashamed. Sure. Soft and fierce. Forever.

"Jasper," she sang. Her voice a lullaby that healed every wound, ache and torment. "Hold my hand." Titanium wrapped in lace. Exquisite.

His lips joined hers. Explosive. Flawless. Beautiful.

**************

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Ube is the Tagolog word for a purple yam that grows throughout the Philipines.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	20. Voracious

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Voracious**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Character: Emmett**

**Rating: T**

* * *

Basically, we were engaged in war games; but Carlisle and Esme refused to participate in anything aggressive sounding, so extreme geocaching became our sport of choice.

Today, Team Vampire was annihilating Team Lassie.

The hounds thought the mind reading thing gave vamps an unfair advantage and refused to play with Edward. But assuming Edward was our ace was a mistake; my enthusiasm and determination was overlooked.

I wonder how long it will take the pack to find the cache I had buried under the mountain. When the Volturi come back, they won't be prepared for my strength and cunning, either.

**************

Disclaimer: All the toys belong to Stephenie, except Lassie. I don't know who Lassie belongs to, but it sure ain't us. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	21. Light

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Light**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Edward/Bella**

**Rating: T**

* * *

A songbird landed on the tree outside Bella's window. The finch, sensing the presence of a unseen predator, warbled nervously, the shrill sound punctuating the morning hum. His warning carried through the glass and reverberated against a picture frame.

Edward welcomed the creature and the middle gray penumbra that crept stealthily through the window; Bella stirred.

Nights beside Bella were never monotonous; Edward occupied himself with thinking of ways to show her how much he loved her, crafting sonnets and symphonies in his mind. He landscaped gardens and constructed ornamental ponds. After a time, Edward began to imagine feeding koi.

* * *

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	22. Erosion

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Erosion**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Bella/Edward**

**Rating: T**

* * *

"Come help me," Bella's neighbor begged. His wife had fallen during supper; he'd taken a cold cloth to her face, but she never moved.

They found her on the floor, beside a spoonful of dressing, a raised, outstretched hand already mottled, violet and angry. Bella reached for the wrist, like she might check for a pulse, but pulled away.

On Bella's tightly composed face, Edward read bewilderment and confusion. Bella had never seen someone before burial preparations had obscured the erosion taking place inside.

Edward prayed to live up to his promise that she would never take a human life.

* * *

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	23. Stagnant

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Stagnant**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Character: Jane**

**Rating: T**

After the feast ended, and the fetid crumbs of fear and fragrance had been swept away, to waft of weakness in the sewers below, Jane returned to her room.

She sniffed. Jane never permitted food to fall upon her clothing or taint her footwear.

Slipping out of her shoes, Jane tested the air again. Satisfied that she had not stepped in urine, she placed the leathers under her wardrobe and withdrew a pair of sparkling, silver heels. Jane strapped them to her stagnant feet, appendages that would never ripen nor wear stilettos, and scuffled around, pretending to dance in the sunlight.

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009. Revised 7/18/10


	24. Sky

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: sky**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Characters: the Cullens**

**Rating: T**

"Look at their coats; they shouldn't be molting now." Rosalie brushed her shirt. "They probably have lice."

"So?" Emmett said. "They look healthy enough to me."

"I'm sure their blood will suit our purposes just fine," Esme advised.

Alice withdrew her attention from her husband and added, "I don't see anything out of the ordinary."

"Shall we then?" Carlisle said. The question was an invitation to the waiting vampires, who vanished immediately. Only Rosalie remained behind.

She lifted her face toward the sky, as if she was sunning and said, "I think I'll just sit here and enjoy the silence."

* * *

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	25. Vivid

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt: Vivid**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Emmett/Rosalie; Bella; Jacob**

**Rating: T**

* * *

"I fell in love with Rosalie Hale the instant I laid eyes on her."

"You say that," Rosalie scoffed. "But I don't believe it."

"I remember vividly: my Rosie showed up, all glittery and gold," Emmett said, eager to regale Bella - for the third or fourth time - with the story of how his true love had rescued him from a big, bad bear. "I thought Diana had come to Earth."

"Ah, well yeah. Diana. Woodland goddess or something. Protector of opossums and raccoons." Jake was asking for trouble. "Diana killed women during childbirth, didn't she?" Jake was toast.

* * *

This is the last drabble for the Twi25 Challenge. Writing them has been a lot of fun. After the challenge is officially over, some of them will appear in one-shots known as drabble salads. Others, like this drabble, might reappear in the works-in-progress that they have influenced.

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a Live Journal community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period, ending December 1, 2009.


	26. Slip

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Slip**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Characters: Edward, Esme**

**Rating: T**

*******

The sound was a brushed wisp snaking into the ringing treble line of the suite he played.

His eyes followed the noise to her stockings, where she traced the seam that crossed the hollow between ankle and tendon and rose to disappear under the lace that almost concealed the curve of her thigh. His fingers fell from the keyboard.

"Edward, what are you doing?" she asked gently.

"Writing a song for you."

Esme smiled and kissed the top of his head as she slid from the room.

He wondered, watching the retreat of her milky calves, what he was missing.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

A/N: Most of these drabbles have not seen a beta's pen. However, my dearest Poppy dragged his one good eye off the football game to give this drabble his approval. Sort of.

FYI: Opossums (sometimes spelled 'possums') are the only marsupial indigenous to North America.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters.


	27. Bound

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Bound**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Edward, Carlisle and Elizabeth Masen**

**Rating: T**

*******

Elizabeth didn't fear the death that tended to her, for she heard no contemplation of evil from the man, if a man he was. Though the disease harvesting her ripened body and the laudanum clouded her perceptions, she knew he was innocent; his thoughts never esteemed murder nor the self-righteousness of conquest. Compassion and loneliness were his only vices.

"You_ must _save my son," she declared. "He is damned, without opportunity for redemption."

Words to be bound in the consecrated soil of Carlisle's mind, because her secret was the kind that pulled outstretched arms from weighted bodies and burned witches.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums are omnivorous scavengers, eating trash and carrion with equal enthusiasm.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	28. Vibrant

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Vibrant**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Alice, Carlisle**

**Rating: T**

*******

One evaluation claimed that _the girl_ had a propensity to set fires.

Then, people still remembered the time an inmate burned the Mississippi State Asylum. Alice did not.

Nor did Alice recall saying that moments before a 'fit', she could see a thousand futures vigorously bursting and pulsing around her. Hot breath wasted on cold glass.

"Sometimes epileptics were institutionalized," Carlisle said, as he stroked her hair. "Along with wild girls who cut their tresses and donned scandalous apparel."

Rather than think she'd been shaved and deloused, Alice thought it better to think about Joan of Arc, shorn before burning.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Baby possums are tenacious. They manage to make their way from their mother's birth canal to her pouch only thirteen days after conception.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	29. Alone

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Alone**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing: Carlisle/Esme, Edward**

**Rating: T**

***

Carlisle and Esme feared the loving duet softly played between them highlighted Edward's separateness and was driving him away. They flourished while he withered and withdrew, trying to hide the feelings affection evoked until the day he left them.

Alone, they played Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and mourned.

When Edward returned, they encouraged his musical interests; as he claimed a singular focus on harmony was soothing and helped train his mind to ignore the thoughts of others. Eventually, they bought a piano, thinking that it could not be picked up and carried off the way a violin or a clarinet might.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Fossils dating from 70 million years ago (around the time dinosaurs became extinct) indicate that possums are part of the oldest mammal family on Earth.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.

Notes:


	30. Dark

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Dark**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Carlisle/Esme**

**Rating: T**

***

Uh. Uhhhhhh.

The grunts and gurgles that fell with the foam and blood from her torn lips might have formed a whispered prayer, but it would be hours before her damaged throat and larynx could fill the room with screeching and begging.

Please. Please.

When the thrashing temporarily subsided, Carlisle washed her face. He remembered to tie her long hair up before the venom pulled her splintered femur back through the dark, ragged hole in her skin and the frenzied soul-searing screaming began again. He barely noticed she had stopped producing tears or that her spittle had turned to vinegar.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Each year, more people kill possums with cars than with guns or poisons.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	31. Earnest

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Earnest**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Characters: Charlie and Bella**

**Rating: T**

*******

Charlie stared at the monitor, although he wasn't reading flight information. He was watching the reflections of planes taxiing into the terminal area, their surfaces dull like the altocumuli that camouflaged Mt. Rainier. Charlie turned and stepped closer to the window without seeing that Bella's flight had arrived early.

When Bella found Charlie, he was observing the movement of baggage on the tarmac. She slipped her arms around his waist, giving him a defeated hug.

"You're here," Charlie said. Without the earnest belief that she was really standing beside him, his words sounded more like a question. _But for how long?_

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Males possums establishing dominance have been known to fight to the death if elaborate dance and feigned combat moves don't frighten challengers away.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	32. Patience

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Patience**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Rosalie and Royce**

**Rating: T**

*******

Royce was afraid; he knew what I did to his friends, the ones who stood laughing when he shoved me to the ground. He hoped his imagination lied, and that my thumbs were not poised over his closed eyelids, the ones that sheltered his conscience from the mauling. His sweat-soaked body trembled beneath my frigid breath, the one and only thing I pushed inside him.

"Do you take Rosalie as your wedded spouse?"

I rubbed his sternum, the place where I had left their hearts.

"Till death . . ."

I asked as he own heart faltered, quivered and stopped.

"Do you part."

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums have opposable fifth digits - thumbs - on their hind limbs.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	33. Apathy

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Apathy**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Jessica Stanley and her mother**

**Rating: T**

*******

When the invitation to Bella's wedding arrived, Jessica hid the envelope inside her packed overnight bag. Jess was tired of hearing her mom squawk about Jess letting the most eligible bachelor around get away. By 'most eligible bachelor', her mother meant one with money.

"In my day, we knew how to make a man . . ."

"Barf," Jessica thought sourly.

Mrs. Stanley never asked Jessica, who graduated fifth in her class, how she planned to pay for college. Mrs. Stanley _did_ buy Jessica luggage as a graduation gift. Her college acceptance letter and scholarship award notification were the first things Jess packed.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums have prehensile tails that are hairless and scaly.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	34. Morose

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Morose**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Edward, Rosalie, Esme/Carlisle**

**Rating: T**

*******

Although Carlisle and Esme might have noted that Edward's dour, if not outright morose personality, cast a somber shadow on the familial fabric, it was Rosalie who spent her newborn years wailing and needy. Her infantile and self-centered view of the world frequently pitted the moody Edward against his parents, who expected Edward to handle Rosalie or at least run her down when she lost control of herself.

Even after three years, Rosalie was essentially still a toddler the day she dragged Emmett McCarty home.

"Mine," Rosalie petulantly declared, as she attempted to push a protruding bowel back into place.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Contrary to popular myth, possums seldom hang by their tails; possum tails are not strong enough to support the weight of an adolescent or adult possum.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	35. Obsession

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Obsession**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Emmett/Rosalie, Carlisle, Edward**

**Rating: T**

***

At first, Rosalie's obsession with the dimpled giant appeared to threaten the Cullen family's fragile stability, but the vigil held at the changeling's bedside matured the presumptuous Rosalie. Mindful of her role as caretaker, she announced that she would direct the education of her new ward and did not require the family's assistance, beyond the aid Carlisle had already rendered.

When the voracious newborn awoke, he looked at Rosalie, winked, and said, "hey beautiful" before he knocked her through a wall. After Rosalie brushed the mortar from her sweater, she ordered Carlisle and Edward to attend to Emmett's first feeding.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Captain John Smith, of rescued-by-Pocahantas fame, misinterpreted the Algonquin word 'possum' by adding an 'o' at the beginning of the word. In 1608, Smith, wrote a book in which he included a description of the 'opossum', permanently adding the misspelled and mispronounced word to the English language.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.

Notes:


	36. Rapacious

The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)

Prompt: Rapacious

Pen name: AndraLee

Pairing or Characters: Cullens

Rating: T

Returning from the hunt, they were skirting Kennewick when they happened upon the wreckage, bits of glass and metal that suggested the vehicle was a convertible. Nothing obviously human was tending to the mess, but a determined turkey vulture was already plucking litter from the slick of pungent fluids and oil.

"We should move on quickly." Carlisle advised before he darted into the wood line.

His flock, nervous and gratefully sated, disappeared behind him. All but one, who tripped on a memory and paused to dip a rapacious finger into the crimson batter, drying on the side of the road.

* * *

A/N: So, just how much human blood can a veggie vamp get away with tasting before his or her eyes turn red? What was the memory that tripped up our vamp who paused for a little taste?

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums will inherit the Earth.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	37. Comfort

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Comfort**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters:Bella/Edward, Carlisle/Esme**

**Rating: T**

*******

Bella sighed and reached for Edward. He hung his head, ashamed that his moment of inattention had meant the doe had suffered.

In reality, age and experience had not matured Bella's perpetually moody spouse one iota. Fortunately for Edward, the previous five hundred and forty-four years had not reduced Bella's willingness to covet Edward's every disposition nor her ability to suffer anything for him.

Carlisle, who struggled to keep his thoughts in check, was exceedingly glad his relationship with Esme was not characterized by or built upon the comforts found in the mutual need for penitence and martyrdom.

Edward winced.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Technically, female possums have two uteruses, the second being their pouch.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	38. Restraint

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Restraint**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters:**

**Rating: T**

Edward preferred classical music where time passed in predictable increments and decades of following the notation trapped between bar lines on a stave and fingering ivory keyboards allowed him virtuosity and a composer's insight.

But Edward never appreciated the ability to stroke a finely tuned key with the barest pressure required to produce sound or with the force to fill the rafters until he began to think of practicing as something he did with Bella. In that regard, Edward aspired, with utmost restraint, to master diatonic scales before moving to the ostinato duets and the sweeping crescendos of a Bach cantata.

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums were introduced into the wilds of western North America by people who had kept possums as pets.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.

Notes: an act of restraining; a means of restraining: a restraining force or influence; a device that restricts movement; a control over the expression of one's emotions or thoughts

An ostinato is a musical motiff or phrase repeated in the same voice and in a succession of equal sounds. The repetitive schemes may form a rhythmic pattern, part of a song or complete melody.


	39. Languid

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Languid**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Charlie**

**Rating: T**

*******

There were times when Charlie found himself staring into the water swirling at his feet and he would realize that the perfect catch was resting in the shady spot between them. He knew then that he was truly one with the river, that alternately languid and raging beast that couldn't hold a shape, but could carve a canyon out of granite.

In his grandest moment, Charlie hoped his indeterminate and largely absent parenting style had forged a similar landscape upon the shape of his only child and he prayed that she too would find the perfect catch resting within reach.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums do not hibernate.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	40. Honest

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Honest**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Emmett and the Cullens**

**Rating: T**

*******

Emmett rarely missed his human family. There had been too many of them and they were too poor. He knew that they would all weep and wail over his apparent loss, but he was certain they would miss his contribution to the communal supper table more. This fact did not mean that Emmett had not been loved fervently, but they were realistic and matters of life and death came frequently to mountain folk.

As time passed, Emmett lost his hillbilly twang but held to the honesty and forthright manner outsiders took for naivete and, for that, his adoptive family was thankful.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Although possums are shy, testing shows that they are as intelligent as pigs, which means they beat Spuds MacKensie.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.

Notes: don't be hating on appalachia


	41. Worry

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Worry**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Alice**

**Rating: T**

*******

Alice pulled the wet clothes tighter and stepped up on the stoop. She had spent her newborn years as a timid and fearful creature, always worried.

A frail woman opened the door wide and motioned the small shivering form inside the warm house.

"Gracious child, you're freezing," she said as she wrapped Alice in a blanket and towed her toward a sofa. "Let me catch my breath and I'll get you some soup beans and cornbread."

Alice shook her head; she limited her diet to the freshly dead and dying, those whose life choices would unwind within hours and minutes.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums have 141 vertebrae in their tails.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	42. Bitter

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Bitter**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Alice**

**Rating: T**

*******

The girl at the Macy's cosmetics counter sprayed the bitter mist on her wrist and held it out to Alice expectantly.

Alice smiled and waved the clerk away. "Allergies," she said, moving on past the perfume toward an array of eye shadows hawked by an anorexic male. The perfection of his carefully applied eyeliner rivaled Alice's.

"I think the Clover Dew will compliment my eyes."

"With your coloring, I would suggested the Green Exotique," the salesman replied.

Ruefully, she rejected his offer of a make-over, wishing she could relax while his sweet hands played across her cold eyelids and checks.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums are only slight larger than the average house cat.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	43. Red

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Red**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Rosalie, her human father and Royce**

**Rating: T**

*******

Rosalie Hale's human father, the one who furnished her taste for luxury, would have liked the sporty red car she polished. The fine grained metal smoothed beneath her fingertips.

Father Hale had driven a Cunningham manufactured in 1925 that was handcrafted from whitewood and ash, strengthened with iron braces and covered with sheet. He acquired the car from a friend of Royce's shortly before he granted Royce permission to court Rosalie. Her father often lamented that he could not afford a new vehicle.

Father Hale and the Cunningham were sitting outside a bootlegger's house when Royce took the _new_ off Rosalie.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Approximately 40% of young possums will not reach adolescence.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.

Notes: angry; color at the end of the visible spectrum; embarrassed; associated with love and hearts; bloodshed; communist; leftist; warning color for signs and instructional materials


	44. Awe

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Awe**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Esme, Bella**

**Rating: T**

*******

Esme's grandmother would have been appalled. Not because Esme was draining a moose cow while her children chased bears, but because she had not set a proper table for her adopted family.

Bella had provided Esme with an opportunity to fuss over a hungry child, and for the first time since the transformation, Esme felt connected to the mothers before her. She basked in the awe that filled Bella's eyes when she bit into the hot bread Esme had baked and slathered with honey.

Nourishing Bella was the part of Bella's humanity that Esme was going to miss the most.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums rarely live more than 2 years in the wild and four years in captivity.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	45. Collide

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Collide**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Jasper**

**Rating: T**

*******

The deer had merely been an tasty appetizer. Jasper needed more.

He spied the adolescent elk as it stepped into the alpine meadow. The thick, wet odor of the beast, and the spoiled predator that followed it, filled Jasper's nostrils. The scent promised a fine meal and entertainment; swiping the dinner out from under the nose of a ravenous hunter, whose temperament and experience would not let the deed go unpunished, would complete Jasper's feast.

Unfortunately, Jasper's scheming left him laughing so hard that he when he lunged for the animal, he collided with Rosalie instead. She was not amused.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Most female possums are pregnant by the time they are 8 months old.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.

Notes:


	46. Fragments

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Fragments**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Carlisle, Jasper**

**Rating: T**

*******

For days after a battle, gore saturated the grass beneath Carlisle's boots, while he teased metal fragments from wounded soldiers. When coaxing failed, he resorted to chopping the infected appendage away.

One afternoon a feverish captain crept into the surgeons' tent. Carlisle had seen him carrying soldiers in and looking after the wounded daily, but on this day the blonde gentleman sought attention for his own wound, a mangled, gangrenous hand. Refusing treatment, he continued to aid his soldiers until, at last, sepsis laid waste to his best intentions and he died.

The experience made Carlisle predisposed to loving Jasper.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: When confronted by a predator, possums will typically display their teeth - all fifty of them - and hiss. However, they aren't as ferocious as their toothy warning suggests and will slip into a catatonic state rather than fight. A possum can appear to be dead and can 'play possum' for up to two hours.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.

Notes:


	47. Lithe

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Lithe**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Carlisle/Esme**

**Rating: T**

*******

When Carlisle was a boy, he heard the warnings his father and other priests gave against dancing, a carnal activity only one stone's throw from a mortal sin. Later at the Volturi Court, dancing was an art he choose to ignore, although he knew for certain that only evil deeds invited further sin and degradation. Still, he neither cared to watch the toned bodies of performers nor to partake in the patterned rituals set to music.

Until Esme asked him to dance. Then, he became an eager and lithe dance partner, preferring a tango to a waltz.

His heart leapt.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Nesting females frequently return the same dens, but at other times move from den to den. Males never adopt a den as their own.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	48. Prelude

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Prelude**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Bella**

**Rating: T**

*******

Bella had never observed a musician as closely as she watched Edward and she found herself imbued by the experience of seeing him create acoustical waves from mechanical energy.

Edward told her that he enjoyed the Chopin preludes, which had elevated the prelude beyond a precursor to a truly independent concert piece, but it was obvious Edward relished the impressionistic Debussy pieces as well.

Bella marveled at the miracle of Edward's presence and raw power she sensed in him. She was long past feeling embarrassed for the sounds of her own heavily breathed recital and Edward didn't seem to mind the musical competition

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums do not thrive in zoos.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.

Notes:


	49. Taut

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Taut**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Alice, Emmett**

**Rating: T**

*******

Alice pulled the skin and fur that hung loosely over the bear's neck taut. She felt the beast wriggle and flail uselessly as she avulsed the flesh and latched onto the artery. Life was almost perfect.

Except Emmett's laughter warned her that he intended to interrupt her lunch with a faked run at the bear. Emmett wouldn't steal his sister's lunch. At least, not after she pulled her mouth away long enough to remind him that he needed all his body parts to keep his marriage intact.

The action allowed blood to spray over her blouse. Emmett's plan all along.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Baby possums are cute, but they do not make good pets.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	50. Willing

**The Twilight Twenty-Five (Round Two)**

**Prompt: Willing**

**Pen name: AndraLee**

**Pairing or Characters: Charlie and Bella**

**Rating: T**

*******

Charlie wasn't sure what he should say about Jacob Black's misguided attempt to kiss Bella. On one hand, Charlie was proud of Bella for defending herself, but on the other hand, Charlie thought she needed a kick in the ass or something to get her to give up on Edward Cullen.

Charlie shook his head and groaned. Maybe Jacob and Edward would kill each other, and Bella could move on to Mike Newton. Charlie willed the notion. A Newton-Swan hook up would give the ultimate sportsman, Charlie Swan, a lifetime supply of deeply discounted fishing gear and free night crawlers.

***

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie; I'm just playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possum meat is greasy and generally unpalatable. Do not eat possums.

The Twilight Twenty-Five is a community that challenges writers to produce twenty-five one-shots &/or drabbles based on selected prompts within a three month period. Drabbles written in response to round two prompts appear in Chapter 26 and subsequent chapters. A link to the Twilight Twenty-Five appears on my profile page.


	51. Photo Prompt1

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #1/pic (Jack Daniel's bottle sitting on a concrete barrier; snowy area; woods)

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi

Rating: R

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

* * *

Heidi decided to stage an accident beside the stone bridge. Soon, a car would drive down the narrow road and she would leap into its path. Using the hood as a springboard, Heidi could catapult over the barrier and land in the stream below. She imagined the screeching tires of the vehicle. She would be well-concealed before the occupants started looking for a body and find the bottle.

Sated, Heidi patted her stomach. She needed the soothing warmth the vital fluid provided as much as she needed to quench her thirst.

Authorities would assume the woman's blood had washed away.

* * *

A/N:My own artwork, inspired by this series of prompts, will be posted soon

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephie. I'm just playing with her dollhouse.

Possum fact: Cracker Barrel sells cute stuffed possum. I got one for Xmas.


	52. Acquiesce

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #2/acquiesce

Pen Name: AndraLee

Characters: Heidi

Rating: R

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Heidi acquiesced, leaning back in her seat and giving in to the vibrations that made the DC-3's passenger cabin hum. She liked the consuming sound of the Pratt and Whitney reciprocating engines; their growl masked the irritating chatter of the humans.

Some of them anxiously watched the airport terminal recede, while others expressed their excitement and eagerness to begin their journey. They did not know this would be their last trip, but the sleepless tourist hidden in the cargo hold did. That vampire, ostensibly summoned to be rewarded for his services, would not be leaving Volterra in one piece either.

* * *

Disclaimer: I'm just playing with Stephie's toys. No harm. No foul.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats is collection of poems about cats written by T.S. Eliot.


	53. Bliss

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #3/bliss

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi, Aro, Volturi Guard

Rating: M

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Eighteen days five hours and forty-three minutes. That was how long it had taken Heidi to procure 16 illegal workers spiced of jasmine, rosemary and ginger.

Soon, she would escort her pets to the antechamber where the Guard would be tested and she would watch the quiet removal of vampires who had forgotten their manners. A vampire's greatest weakness was bloodlust, because it invited exposure.

Always, Heidi waited, content to lap up the drying blood after her Lords had been sated. If Aro was pleased, he allowed her to lick his boots. Sometimes he took Heidi's hand and shared her bliss.

* * *

A/N: I'm just playing with Stephie's toys. No copyright infringement intended.

Possum fact: Go check out Heidi the Crosseyed Possum on YouTube or Facebook. :P


	54. Collapse

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #4/collapse

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi, Jane

Rating: R

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Heidi enjoyed the little dramas that sometimes played out among the humans she herded. Today on the bus from Rome, a twenty-something Rubenesque beauty was reminding her fifty-ish husband that she would have preferred a spa day to the Tuscan countryside by collapsing on a back bench between two college boys. In turn, the husband openly flirted with Heidi. His licentious display, which Heidi encouraged, would remind his child-bride that he could play her game, but Heidi smelled desperation. She hoped the couple would later attract Jane's attention and raise her ire; Viagra had a rather unpleasant taste.

* * *

A/N: Nope, not mine. All belongs to Stephie.

Possum fact: A possum's top speed is about 7 miles per hour.


	55. Damp

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #5/damp

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi/Felix, Demetri, Caius

Rating: M

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Felix groaned with satisfaction. He was easy to please—unlike Demetri, who cared more about his looks and the appearance that he didn't mind it when Caius sought other diversions. Felix's quiet gentleness, a quality Heidi's other lovers did not possess, was well-hidden beneath a brutish countenance and the sadistic bent that Volturi service instilled. Sometimes Felix molded himself around her and caressed her ears with baritone whispers. Later, when Heidi rolled away and he reached for her, she almost wished that it really was her that he yearned to keep, instead of the damp half-memories made in another life.

* * *

A/N: Just playing with Stephie's toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Research shows that possum are far more social than previously believed.


	56. Defile

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #6/defile

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi, Aro

Rating: M

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Heidi glared at the vampires who had interrupted her plans for the wounded Landsknects that she had lead into the defile. The steep terrain would have prevented their escape and she could have taken them at her leisure. Now, she was trapped, too.

When the intruders had attacked, one the soldiers leapt to her defense. His heroics were rewarded quickly; his cyanotic lips, twisted features and bulging eyes suggested the reward had not come soon enough.

"Such a pretty little thing," a cloaked man murmured. "You lured all these pikemen from their camp. How resourceful. Come child, take my hand."

* * *

A/N: Still not mine. Just playing with Stephie's toys. So glad she hasn't tried to take them back yet.

For those of you who aren't history buffs...

Landsknects: mercenary pikemen

pikeman: a soldier utilizing a pike, a pole-type weapon to which a spearhead is affixed

defile: a steep-sided narrow passage or gorge

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: With a body temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit, an opossum's digestive system is more efficient than Jacob's in any form.


	57. Photo Prompt 2

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #7/pic (blanket; tent; candles)

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi

Rating: R

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Susan and Mark spent their anniversary trip in the foothills of the Italian Alps, reprising their first vacation. They hired a caravan in Torino and found the campground where they first pledged to love 'till death they did part'. On the last night, they left the shelter of their middle-aged comforts and assembled a tent. There, they reflected on fate.

They had grown up two-thousand miles apart. If they hadn't let friends persuade them to spend one summer hitchhiking around Europe, they never would have met, never married nor returned to the campground where Heidi helped them fulfill their vows.

* * *

A/N: Can't help it. Stephie didn't give poor Heidi much to do. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: There is a town in North Carolina that drops a possum-a backwoods version of the ball in Times Square-to bring in the New Year.


	58. Demure

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #8/demure

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Heidi sat in meditation, quietly fingering the rosary. Behind her, a couple from Barcelona recognized her demure piety immediately and were moved to inquire if she were a novice. Their daughter - the one who drowned - might now be taking her own vows, they claimed.

Heidi looked down at her short skirt and leather boots. The couple believed Heidi was dressed modestly. Heidi smiled; she never questioned her gift, the kaleidoscope into which humans peered and believed she was an answer to prayer.

"Tell me, have you ever been to Voltera?" Heidi asked. "I think you'll find solace there."

* * *

Just playing with the toys; no copyright infringement intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums have been known to take up residence with barn cats, happily dining on mice and Friskies.


	59. Elixir

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #9/elixir

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Heidi's exploration of the herbalist's shops and new age retreats always produced a bounty of eager tourists and people desperate enough to believe the elixir of life ran from a spigot in the bowels of Voltera. It was an egregious lie. Eternity was a blazing fire hidden in the bodies of the vested, those whose desires were too perverse to be quenched. "Come," she told the ill-fated lambs she had seized. "You will see and believe that the magical potion you seek was inside you all along, and I will thank you for the blessings which you bestow upon us."

* * *

Disclaimer: The world of Twilight belongs to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer and her assignees. I'm playing with her stuff. No harm. No foul. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums would prefer to eat cockroaches rather than your table scraps.


	60. Feign

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #10/feign

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi/Felix, Demetri

Rating: M

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Felix felt the searing burn of Jane's wrath on occasion; afterwards, he sought the tender comforts of Heidi's arms where he claimed angering Jane was a way to test his mettle. "One day, I will rise from the ground to walk about as if Jane had no effect upon me," he said.

Felix scoffed at Demetri, who feigned confidence and professed a complete absence of fear where Jane was concerned. Felix suspected Demetri secretly begged for Jane's torments and that from time to time Alec arranged to have Demetri's wishes fulfilled.

Heidi never disagreed; she avoided confrontation at all costs.

* * *

Disclaimer: Just playing with Stephie's toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Cars kill more skunks than possums.


	61. Hollow

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #11/hollow

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

There were nights when Heidi curled up in her bed and imagined the sound of her father's heart beating.

Whenever she was afraid, he wrapped her in blankets and held her close, gently whispering that giants and goblins could never take her. He pledged to slay both kings and dragons to keep her safe from any harm. Tragically, her father had made those promises long before adolescence ripened her bosom and strong, sinuous legs carried her carelessly away to places where monsters clawed at her conscience and she struggled to find comfort in the echos of a cold, hollow heart.

* * *

Disclaimer: Still playing in Stephie's toy box. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Cars kill more skunks than possums.


	62. Push

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #12/push

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi, Gianna, Caius

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Heidi knew Gianna was pushing her luck with Caius. The receptionist had become far to pushy and much too presumptive for an arrogant and idle troublemaker like Caius. Heidi considered warning Gianna that her overly efficient manner bred distrust and suspicion. "Exactly how does someone, as organized as you are, forget to relate message of such importance?" Heidi asked when Gianna failed to share Caius' request that Heidi retrieve a bit of lace from a shop in Milan.

"I told Demetri."

Heidi smiled. It was hard to kick the office pet; besides, Heidi's masters would send her headhunting soon enough.

* * *

Disclaimer: I'm playing with Stephie's toys. I tried to snag her Barbies out she hid those in a closet. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Cars kill more skunks than possums.


	63. Photo Prompt 3

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #13/pic (male & female holding hands; barefoot; hidden faces)

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi, Marcus

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Marcus summoned Heidi while she prepared to leave their sanctuary. She found him in his private quarters, watching television.

"Have you seen these children?" a commentator asked. The weeping parents held photos of the missing engineering students.

"Have we? Are they familiar?" Marcus queried, wondering if the Volturi had a role in the unfolding drama.

"Not especially," Heidi replied. After more than five centuries, the humans she led through their hallways were faceless. Pigs looked the same to humans, didn't they?

"Well, take care to avoid complications," he cautioned. Lately, acquiring prey was easier. No one complained when jihadists vanished.

* * *

Disclaimer: Just playing with Stephie's toys. Copyright infringement not intended. No harm done.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: A freshly killed possum might still have live young in her pouch. Brave enough to check?


	64. quixotic

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #14/quixotic

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

After seeing an opera house in Lyons that been gutted and sleekly refitted in black and red, Aro ordered renovations for the Volturi castle. A quixotic post-structuralist architect—who might have stolen his wardrobe from Marcus and his demeanor from Caius—added elevators and recessed lighting in the hallways.

Heidi assumed Aro would have granted the man immortality if he had not impertinently nagged Aro about raising the floor in the antechamber and concealing the drain. (The architect would have been eaten were he not surprising unobservant.)

Heidi now needed to find a new candidate to design Aro's Turkish bath.

* * *

Disclaimer: You know I like playing with Stephie's toys. Copyright infringement most definitely not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: If you leave fish in the trash, possums will party in your backyard all night.


	65. Return

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #15/return

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Priceless paintings and display cases containing jewels filled the first room into which Heidi escorted guests. The space was functional, designed to amaze and, more importantly, identify which travelers were carrying electronic recording devices and cell phones.

"Your personal items will be returned to you before we leave the building," Heidi assured Mr. Halsinger, a childless widower from Miami.

Before the invention of cell phones people sent postcards home instead of photos and text messages. Creating so-called proof that someone had continued their journeys beyond Voltera was easier then. Now, diverting attention from the castle meant texting and staging photographs.

* * *

Disclaimer: Everything belong to Stephie. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possum fur is incredibly soft.

Wow! These are due today. Do you think I will get them all typed and posted before midnight? Present score: 15 posted, 3 typed and ready to post, 4 ready to type, and 3 to write. Yikes!


	66. Ripple

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #16/ ripple

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi, Demetri, Gianna

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Heidi hung back, watching the humans enter. Smiling, Gianna stood to greet them, as if they were ordinary guests whose needs would be attended to shortly, instead of the first course. Demetri, never one without a clever remark, leaned against a nearby wall.

"Will you be dining with us this evening," he asked, his voice dripped deceptiveness.

A ripple of unease pulled the humans closer. A few clasped hands and whispered reassurances that this tour was like others they had taken. Tonight, they would see wonderful antiquities, and in the morning they would swear a ghost had moved among them.

* * *

Disclaimer: The world of Twilight and all its inhabitants belong to Stephenie Meyer. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums eat baby snakes. They like to stakeout a burrow and catch they little vipers as they leave their eggs.


	67. Simple

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #17/simple

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi

Rating: R

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

On May 6,1937, Murray Becker took pictures that made Heidi's remember the prayers she had forgotten. That was the day Becker photographed the explosion and crash of a hydrogen-filled zeppelin called the Hindenberg.

Heidi had heard the radio reports of what the humans called a disaster, and had almost forgotten the incident entirely until she ran across Becker's photographs of the flaming airship and the scorched remains of its duralumin frame and lacquered cotton skin. Heidi later learned the incident had been filmed, but she refused to watch, ashamed that simple photos could induce her to pray every time she flew.

* * *

Disclaimer: It's all Stephie's, She's just got better toys than I do. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Possums probably ate dinosaur eggs. In fact, the proliferation of possums is responsible for the mass extinction of dinosaurs.


	68. Stagger

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #18/stagger

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi, Aro

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Everyone in the great hall paused; Aro had stopped drinking before a heart had beat its last. The human staggered forward, dropping to clutch the hem of Aro's coat. "Why have you done this to me?" it screeched. The watching vampires shared his curiosity. Aro offered nothing.

Several minutes past before the burning reduced the man to a bawling animal, having already forgotten everything it had ever known except the words _please make it stop_. An appalling display.

Heidi turned back to her drink, before it too began to burn; she did not like to be reminded of her rebirth.

* * *

Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just hanging out here playing with her toys. Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Torturing a possum is a misdemeanor in most states. I think it should be a felony.


	69. Photo Prompt 4

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #19/pic (girl looking out bank of windows; jet blue aircraft parked nearby)

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi, Gianna, Aro

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Heidi spotted the mule awaiting instructions in the airport. Enroute from Rio, the girl had chatted in English and in Portuguese; now she poked at a phone and mumbled in Italian and French.

The law had noticed the girl, too. They circled warily, like hyenas, reluctant to alarm the other passengers. Hieid winked. She let them assume her job involved the procurement of entertainment for wealthy patrons. The ruse would protect the girl, until Aro decided if she could be useful.

The creature tried to hide its nervousness. "What did you say your name was?" Heidi asked.

"Gianna," she replied.

* * *

Disclaimer: I'm just playing with Stephie's Barbies. No copyright infringement intended.

Things you wish I would just go on and shut up about: Even you can learn to rehab a possum. Call your local humane society or your state department of conservation and ask when and where the next class will be held.


	70. Stolen

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #20/stolen

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

When Heidi heard the preparations for her pyre, she began to pray.

Dear Father, I'm a good girl. I did not construct idols nor worship the gods of heathens. I did not commit adultery, contrary to testimony. I've never borne false witness nor coveted my neighbor's things. I did not kill, take your name in vain, nor stolen more than a moment of rest when I should have been milking the cows. That happened on a Sunday and I could claim that I was trying to keep the Sabbath holy, but that would be a lie. I was just tired.

* * *

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the world. No copyright infringement intended.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: Opossums, which do not hibernate, are more likely to be seen in daylight hours during the winter than they are in the summer.


	71. Surface

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #21/surface

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi, Irina

Rating: M

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Marcus wanted Heidi to take a turn at minding the complainant from Alaska. (Her sickly ochre eyes reminded Heidi of the moon's pale surface.) Jane had been playing host, as it were, but Marcus thought the new arrival might benefit from having a talkative afternoon companion.

Finding an appropriate topic of conversation proved difficult. Even sex, a typically universal subject seemed verboten, because the woman fraternized intimately with humans. (Easy to waste a few good pints or so if they decided to fight.) Anyway, a vampire who preferred the attention of a human probably had a very low sex drive.

* * *

Disclaimer: Stephenie probably wishes I would leave her stuff alone. no copyright infringement intended.

Things you wish you didn't know: A dead possum smells almost as bad as a pole cat on a hot, sunny afternoon.


	72. Trap

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #22/trap

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi, Gianna

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Heidi wondered if Gianna was as much a trap for the Guard as she was for the humans. They all paid her too much attention and she had developed the habit of wandering the vast halls, assuming Aro's protection. Perhaps that is why Jane and Alec had started a betting pool regarding the date of Gianna's dispatch.

Heidi sighed. Gianna, despite her faults was the only person with whom Heidi could debate the usefulness of platform shoes. Sure, it was endearing, but not worth the punishment for creating a newborn without permisison. One needed a head to enjoy wearing Pradas.

* * *

Disclaimer: The world of Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. Hail O Queen! Copyright infringement not intended.

Things you wish I would stop writing about (besides Twilight): Despite being hairless, possums tails do not get frostbite. (actually, it's rare for a possum to suffer a cold related injury)


	73. Under

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #23/under

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi, Caius

Rating: M

Photos for prompts 1,7,13,19 & 25 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

Heidi and Caius shared a love of sexy lingerie. He spent a small fortune outfitting his paramours with leather and lace in equal parts and devoted a great deal of time and attention to scouting for shops that catered to his tastes.

Heidi's dedication to exploring various unusual shops and venues made her Caius' favorite member of the Guard, and In return for her discretion, Heidi was occasionally favored with Caius' gratitude and he allowed her to watch - but never touch - as he modeled his most unique acquisitions. Heidi was glad when his interest in harem pants passed.

* * *

Disclaimer: It's Stephie's. No copyright infringement intended. I'm just borrowing her toys for a bit.

Things you wish I wouldn't tell you: A baby possum will drink from a bottle, eat kibble and play happily with humans until it gets the urge to mate.


	74. Wander

WARNING: This drabble contains descriptions of sexual abuse

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #24/wander

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi

Rating: M

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

During her trial, Heidi's father, whose eyes never wandered from the floor, stood behind the priest who accused her of fornicating with the Devil. The clergyman claimed that Heidi had tempted him with promises of her soft bosom and tight loins. Heidi denied the accusations until they tied her to a table and poured lye between her thighs. A virgin, they shouted over her screams, would neither blister nor bleed.

Later that night, a vampire took pity on the burning girl and spirited her from her dungeon cell unseen. They returned for her inquisitors later, leaving the townsfolk to whisper.

* * *

Disclaimer: The world of Twilight and its inhabitants belongs to Stephenie Meyer. Thank you for letting me play in your sandbox. copyright infringement not intended.

Something you will be glad to know: There is a skunk outside my window. He's probably hiding from the coyotes.


	75. Photo Prompt 5

The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]livejournal[dot]com

Prompt: #25/pic (bath tub; candles; book)

Pen Name: AndraLee

Pairing: Heidi

Rating: T

Photos for prompts 1,7,13, & 19 can be found here:

community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/16325[dot]html

The temperature of Heidi's bath was so cold that a thin layer of ice floated on the water. She imagined that she was walking outside a spacecraft that had fled the Earth to avoid the ballooning sun. Now, the mighty vessel was perilously low on fuel and supplies, and Heidi, rather than face an eternity floating in space with the gnawing burn of unremitting and unquenched bloodlust, decided she would chart a course into the nearest star.

Centuries of rigid adherence to her masters and a creed that allowed few choices made Heidi a connoisseur of dystopian literature.

* * *

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephie, I'm just playing with her toys.

The last word: Seriously, support wildlife programs in your area. A possum will thank you.


End file.
